Childbirth Recollections
by Danicakate
Summary: Kel is 26, married, and almost nine months pregnant. During a party that her mother is hosting, Kel goes into labour. People begin reminiscing about her life, and their involvement. This is my first FanFic, so please give me some feedback!
1. The Party

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 1: The Party**

Twenty-six year old Keladry of Mindelan smiled happily. The day could not be any more perfect. She was at home in Mindelan, at a party her mother has organised. Kel rubbed her swollen belly contentedly. What more could she want? She had been for two and a half years now, and this party was a sort of baby shower in honour of her first child. She looked around at the people who were attending. Neal, the Lioness, Baron George Cooper and Duke Baird were having a slightly heated discussion in the corner of the courtyard with Lord Wyldon, her old training master. King Jonathan, Sir Myles and Lord Raoul were talking by the pond. Ever since her father had become the official ambassador for Tortall in the Yamani Islands, Mindelan had been placed in the Book of Silver, and the King and Queen had been especially sure to keep the fief of Mindelan happy. Kel had recently returned from New Hope, where she had been commanding since she was eighteen. She was now almost nine months pregnant, and had left new Hope in capable hands. Many people had objected to her staying there as long as she had, with stress and combat practice both being high on Neal's list of what could cause a miscarriage. Only close friends and those who _really_ needed to know had known about Kel's pregnancy. Kel had faced enough taunts about her love life when she was a page, and later, a squire. She had no desire what-so-ever to give gossips anything else to talk about.

Kel was beginning to feel slightly sick. The baby kicked out at her. Although Neal and Alanna had often offered to work the spell that would tell her the baby's gender, Kel had declined. She wanted a surprise. She was happy to just sit here, listening to the happy chatter of many people around her. Her mother had invited not only most of the court, but many people Kel knew and loved from her many years. There were some of the ex-convicts that had defended Haven so faithfully. As a result, they had been pardoned of their crimes.

"…she should be told! Not only does she not know, there's the matter of--" Neal's voice carried across the courtyard. No doubt he was talking about some poor maiden suffering in some distant country. Kel dimly wondered where Yuki was. Yuki and Neal had been married almost eight years, and Yuki had three beautiful children, Gregory, who was seven, Elena, aged six, who was named after Sir Myles's wife Eleni, and, she had confided in Kel, "I want to be just like you, Aun'y Kel! I'm gonna be a knight too!" Yuki now had a bubbly two year old, Alyss.

"—four years and seven months since it happened. Surely she's not still feeling guilty? There—" This snatch of Lord Wyldon's conversation grabbed her attention. They could still be talking about the maiden. But something more significant had happened four and a half years ago. It suddenly seemed very likely to Kel that they were talking about her. Why would they—

Suddenly a massive spasm wracked Kel's body. She gasped involuntarily. "Neal! Hel—"

Neal was by her side in an instant. "Kel, what is it?"

Kel didn't answer. A soft, fuzzy blackness was enveloping her, comforting her. The last thing she heard was Neal's voice. "Alanna! Get here quick!" he roared.

And then, Kel knew no more.


	2. What Could Go Wrong?

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 2: What Could Go wrong?**

Neal looked down at Kel, worry in his eyes. The baby wasn't due for almost a week. Why, then, was she in so much pain? He reached out to her with his Gift. _Oh no. That is __so__ not good._ Not only had the baby decided to be born early, its kicking had ruptured her womb. If she wasn't healed soon, Kel would bleed to death. And this was beyond his training.

"Alanna! Get here quick!" Neal roared. Kel's eyes rolled back into her head, and Neal realised that she was no longer conscious.

Alanna the Lioness arrived at a run. It took her only a second to asses the situation. Then she was ordering nearby guests to bring her mages kit, hot water, towels and Illane. Together, she and Neal waited for Illane to arrive, which she did moments later, coming at a run, her silver hair escaping its pins to fly behind her.

Alanna asked if there were a private room nearby that they could use. Illane pointed it out, and several knights offered their assistance in carrying Kel.

"No," Alanna ordered. "We can't move her. It's unsafe; she's lost too much blood."

"But we can't just leave her here!" protested Neal.

"You of all people should know how we're going to move her, Neal. We did it often enough when you were a squire."

"But that was eight years ago! How could I-- Oh." Realisation dawned on Neal's face. "But we're going to need help," he pointed out.

"Listen up!" Alanna's voice carried across the crowd of gathering guests. "Anyone who has the Gift, come here quick. Everyone else, you need to back off. We need to give Kel some air. The child's decided to come early."

Pretty soon, Alanna had a squad of five or so mages in front of her. Maybe twenty more were nearby, waiting to see if they were needed. Slowly, gently, the mages wove a stretcher of magic under Kel and moved her into the room that Illane had indicated. Illane herself held the door open. Once Kel's limp form was placed on the bed, Alanna shooed the mages out, and had someone send a runner for the village midwife. Another runner was to alert Kel's husband, who was still to arrive at Mindelan.

Alanna closed and locked the door. It was time to do some serious healing, and for that, she needed no interruptions. Being distracted at this point would be fatal for both Kel and the baby. With a quick prayer to the Goddess, Alanna got to work. Neal followed with a sigh. Surely the baby could have waited until he'd finished his custard pie?

Outside, people were talking. Some were wondering whether it would be a girl or a boy. Others suggested names. Most had their heads bowed in silent prayer. Sergent Domitan wasn't worried. While he still loved Kel, he knew that she was happier with her husband. Besides, she had two of the best healers he knew in there looking after her, even if one of them _was_ Sir Meathead. Nothing could go seriously wrong. Could it?


	3. Anders

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 3: Anders**

Merric of Hollyrose looked around at those assembled. They all looked so gloomy. _Why?_ He wondered. _Kel needed this. She needed someone to love and look after while the man of the house was out. Kel would do just fine as a mother. And with two of the best knight-healers in Tortall in there to look after her, Kel would be just fine._

"It'll be good for Kel to have her hands full." He said aloud. People turned to look at him. Merric went on to explain his point. "She needs something to take her mind off Sir Anders. She's been really quiet ever since, well, you know. Do you all remember? Anders went off to help Lord Meren with his spindren problem…"

_It was exactly four years and seven months before, on an overcast day. The Immortals were settling into Tortall and the other lands surrounding there Emerald Ocean. Some, like the kudarung, were peaceful by nature, and had quickly captured the hearts of many. Others, like the centaurs, had formed peace treaties with humans, swearing to abide by the human laws. But many, spindrens, Stormwings and hurroks included, hated humans, and acted upon their vicious natures, attacking and killing many. Hundreds of people, not all of them Tortallan, had died defending their lands and loved ones from the ferocious immortals._

_Lord Meren had sent out an urgent plea for help when spindrens had attacked one of his villages. Sir Anders of Mindelan had been less that a day's ride from Lord Meren's lands, with a squad of Mindelan's men at arms. He and his squad had answered the call._

_In the fight that followed, only two were killed. One was a villager, killed when a dying spindren fell on him. By the time the carcass was moved, the man had suffocated. The other was Anders._

_This would have broken the heart of many, but Kel's was shattered with guilt and sorrow. Earlier that day, Anders had asked her if she wanted to go riding a patrol with him and his squad. Kel had declined, as she wanted to practice her skill with a sword. As she had been fighting with her glaive for all her years as a squire, and then almost four years as a knight, her skill with a sword was sadly lacking._

_The very second that Kel heard that Lord Meren had sent a plea or help and that Anders had answered it, she was worried. With only a squad of men at arms to help him, Anders would be having a hard time. He had never fully recovered from his injuries sustained in the Immortals War._

_Kel gathered as many men at arms as Mindelan could spare, and rode to Green Valley, Lord Meren's fief. When she got there, the Mindelan men at arms worked with the men at arms of Green Valley to finish off the spindrens. Kel herself looked for Anders. She couldn't see him anywhere. No, wait. Was that him?_

_Anders was lying in the dust, blood pooling around him, dirt caking his wounds. As Kel rushed to his side, she saw horrific wounds._

_Anders was dying fast, and all Kel could do was hold him, waiting for the Black God to come for him._

_As she cradled his head in her lap, he made several gurgling noises._

"_Shhh. Don't speak," she soothed._

"_Kel." Anders' voice was a dry rasp. "Tell Mama … I'm sorry – I didn't make it … home. Look after – my – children. Kel …" and, with a sigh, Anders' soul joined the Black God in the Peaceful Realms._

_Kel sat there, crying, with only her guilt to comfort her as the world moved on around her. _

"_Anders, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she sobbed, guilt clawing at her stomach._

_It was dark before anyone thought to look for her._

"_Kel! Kel? Kel, where are you?" The words seemed to come from far away. The words forced their way through her numb ears and into her sluggish brain. "Kel? Mithros, Kel, is that you? What happened?" She knew that voice … "Kel, are you alright? I'm so sorry." …where had she heard it before? …_

_A glowing green hand was placed on her shoulder. Slowly, her brain began to work. It was raining, but she had no idea when it had started. Slowly she began to take in her surroundings. She was in a small clearing away from where the main battle had taken place. Bodies, both human and immortal littered the ground. Beside her was a pair of feet. She tried to draw breath to speak, but felt hands close her eyes. She tried to protest, but she was just so sleepy. Green light played across the insides of her eyelids. And then Kel blacked out._

"I remember that." Owen of Jesslaw put in. "Kel almost died of hypothermia that day. She was strong enough to fight it, but it was as if she'd lost the will to live. Her brother dying in her arms, her mother unable to leave her bed, Cleon to marry to that heiress in a month's time, Sergent Domitan being held hostage by that Scanran war lord who broke the peace treaty, her father in the Yamani Islands. It'd've got to anyone. But it hit Kel worst of all…"

_It had taken Kel three weeks to recover enough from the hypothermia to be taken back to Mindelan. During that time, Kel also fell victim to pneumonia, so she almost drowned. Neal hadn't left her side for more than three minutes at a time, fearing that in those three minutes, Kel would take a turn for the worse, and he wouldn't be there to reverse the effects, and she would be severely damaged, if she survived at all. Thankfully, this only happened once, and Neal returned in time to stop any serious damage._

_Kel was unconscious for most of the time she was ill._

_Anders' funeral was put off until Kel was well enough to attend. She was rushed back to bed as soon as the service to Mithros and the Black God was over. A week after that, with many healers, including Alanna's, help, Kel was able to get up and go for a walk. Soon afterwards Kel was fully healed, but she seemed to still carry a dark sense of guilt wherever she went. She wore her 'Yamani Lump' face a lot, and it was a long time before she was able to act naturally around Anders' children. By then, Kel was back in the field._

"Keladry still carries the sorrow and guilt. She seems to feel that if she'd gone with Anders, he wouldn't have been killed. Perhaps a child of her own will take her mind off it. It's been a long time. She needs to let go, for her sake, and for the child's." Lord Wyldon of Cavall commented. "She needs to for the sake of her mental health, and can you imagine the havoc it would wreak in a child's mind, to grow up in the shadow of poor, dead Uncle Anders? If it's a boy, everyone must strongly advise her against calling him Anders. Even you, Illane."

"I agree with Wyldon." Duke Baird said. "For the sake of both Kel and her child, we mustn't let the child be raised like that. It would be bad for the mental health of all involved."

"It really got to Kel that she couldn't go to Cleon's wedding. Meathead wouldn't let her. She would have collapsed in the middle of the ceremony. Can you imagine what the talk would have been if the Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan did something as feminine as a swoon?" Dom grinned evilly.

"Kel wouldn't have cared." Yuki said in her barely accented Common. "The conservatives have been hassling her for years, and she hasn't twitched an eyelash at them. She very good in that way. She doesn't care, as long as she does her best by the people under her care."

"She'll get a lot from them now that she's got a child." Dom commented. "No one who isn't at this party knows. She's been wearing that charm Neal made her."

"What charm? I didn't know she was wearing a charm!" King Jonathan interrupted. Thayet put a soothing hand on his arm.

"It's a charm that hides the effects of pregnancy. Keladry didn't want the conservatives to give her a harm time, so when she was out in public, she wore the charm." Thayet explained.

"Baird, did you check it over? I'd hate for something to have gone wrong and a rouge charm to damage the baby." Jonathan was worried. He'd become quite fond of the realm's famed Lady Knight over the last eight years.

"Baird checked it, Alanna checked it, Numair checked it, the palace healers checked it, and I checked it, all before Keladry had any idea that it was even in existence. She'd asked Neal if he knew if there were such things, and he told her he'd look into it. Not only did that charm hide the effects of pregnancy, it helped with morning sickness, kept the mother and child in good health, and made it easy for the healers to find Keladry." It was Eleni Cooper, Sir Myles's wife, who answered the King. She was a healer and former priestess. "But she's not wearing it today. I hope everything is alright."


	4. Rescuing Dom

**Childbirth Recollections**

**A/N: thank you to everyone who wrote reviews. No, Kel wasn't cursed, and you'll find out pretty soon why Kel didn't change her name. It will be a while before you find out who she **_**did**_** marry. ** **As always, reviews are appreciated!**

**Chapter 4: Rescuing Dom**

Duke Baird was worried. He knew Alanna, and he knew his son. They were both highly competent healers, and both were more than capable of performing a normal birth. But he'd seen the look on Alanna's face, and it did nothing to reassure him. If Lady Alanna of Trebond, Olau and Pirates' Swoop was scared that badly, that worried _him_.

But he couldn't do anything. Alanna would probably call on the Goddess, and all Baird could do was heal. He hadn't even been able to save Queen Lianne. Quickly, he sent a prayer to Mithros for guidance. Kel was going to need all the help she could get.

In the next room, Eleni was having similar thoughts. She, too, had grown fond of Keladry, and couldn't bear the thought that Kel mightn't conquer this obstacle as well.

Everyone who had ears had heard of the time that Kel had gone to save Dom.

_It was around two years after Eleni's granddaughter Aly had married Nawat Crow._

_Peace had at last settled between Scanra and Tortall. Lord Raoul had taken Third Company to get the official peace treaties signed by all of the Scanran clan leaders. Sergent Domitan of Masbolle had been scouting ahead when he was snatched by one of the very few clans still loyal to King Maggot._

'Maggur,' Eleni quickly corrected herself. It wasn't a virtue that the Goddess liked to stoop to the level of soldiers and fighters.

_Anyway, Lord Raoul had spent three days searching the area for signs of where his favourite Sergent was before he found a very cleverly disguised trail a mile or so from where Dom had been snatched. The tracking that followed gave Third Company a strong sense of d__éjà vu. The kidnappers used techniques to cover their tracks similar to a group of rouge centaurs Third Company had rounded up when Kel was a squire. On both occasions, the groups being tracked stuck to rock or water wherever possible. Again, this got so bad that one man broke into hysterics at the glimpse of a patch of rock or stream._

_Then, someone, or _something_, would make a set of false prints, often leading to a cliff or something similar._

_On this occasion, however, the kidnappers had used braches to attempt to brush away any tracks that _were_ left, with varying degrees of success. While the Third Company trackers couldn't see any actual tracks, they could see where the earth had been disturbed recently, thus they could follow this _absence_ of tracks. Third Company followed to the base of a very high cliff. Three quarters of the way up was the entrance to a cave. Upon closer inspection with a spyglass, Lord Raoul could spot several sentries._

_By this time, Kel and several other knights had joined forces with Third Company. As soon as Third Company had found the first tracks, Lord Raoul had sent for help. General haMinch had sent Kel, Neal, Merric, Seaver, Cleon, Vinson and Faleron. The whole of Third Company (minus one man), Lord Raoul and seven other knights against two full clans and whoever else ex-King Maggur had sent from his hideout weren't great odds. Scanran boys were trained for battle from the cradle. Before battle, some ate inedible fungi, which sent them into a trance. While in this trance, they didn't think, didn't feel, didn't _die_, or at least not quickly enough for the liking of the Tortallan knights peace of mind._

'Not that I should be wishing that they should die at all. Honestly, I don't know what's come over my thoughts today.' Eleni was getting rather distressed at the way her thoughts were going.

_There were rumours and speculations about how the 'Great Escape' had happened, some more likely than others. Eleni simply did not believe that Kel would have seduced a guard; and she thought it ludicrous that Kel could knock the whole cave out cold simply by _looking_ at them._

_But the fact still remained that it was remarkably easy for the other knights and Third Company to capture all those in the cave, including the clan's warlord, and question them for the whereabouts of ex-King Maggur's sanctuary. With the help of the peaceful clans, Third Company was able to capture the ex-King once and for all. As the King's local representatives, the watched as the Scanrans carried out the execution. The horror was over._

Eleni was suddenly brought back to reality when someone proposed a toast to Keladry.

"To an easy birth, good health, more children, and a life blessed by the Goddess. To Keladry of Mindelan."

"To Keladry of Mindelan!" the other guests repeated and everyone drank from their respective cups and goblets.

"Mama?" asked one child, tugging at his mother's sleeve. Eleni recognised the boy as one of Anders' children, Matthias. "Mama, why're they calling Aunty Kel Keladry o' Mindelan? 'Cause she isn't. She's Keladry of—"

"Darling," his mother broke in, speaking quietly. Eleni was just close enough to the pair to hear what they said. "Do you remember how Mama told you how some nasty people were talking about Aunty Kel and calling her mean things? Well, if they knew that Aunty Kel had gotten married, they'd call her even worse names, and Aunty Kel didn't want that. That's why she wore the pretty necklace, and that's why she's asked everyone to call her Keladry of Mindelan. When she's got her own little baby, then she'll tell people what her real name is. But until then, we just call her Keladry of Mindelan, or Aunty Kel. Understand? Just Aunty Kel. There's a good boy. Now go tell the others for Mama, alright?"

'Ah,' thought Eleni, realisation dawning. 'So that's why she's still called Mindelan. Nobody wants the conservatives to find out her real name, or at least, not until she announces it. She's going to have to tell them soon, especially when she's got a babe to look after.' Eleni refused to consider the act that the babe mightn't make it through this ordeal. Kel mightn't either. From the looks on other people's faces, they too were trying to block out unpleasant thoughts. Duke Baird also had the same, pained, expression on his face. She thought she knew why. The charm Neal had made, as well as doing everything that she'd listen for the King, it was also supposed to help Kel have an easy childbirth. But Kel hadn't worn it at all today. Everybody at the party knew that Kel was married, and who she was married to. They all knew that she was pregnant, so she hadn't bothered to hide her pregnancy, not knowing what else that charm did.

Neal wouldn't risk putting the charm back on her. It would be too dangerous to do that now. Its magic could interfere with the magic that he and Alanna were performing. To put the charm on Kel now would risk killing Kel and the baby.

But something had to be done.

Baron George Cooper was thinking. Now was a difficult time, and a lot was riding on how his wife and her former squire were doing. He wished that all these people would stop praying. That was how he, George, got saddled with Kyprioth, the Trickster. Praying in times of great stress was a bad idea. You never knew who was going to answer in times like those, and Kel didn't need the help of a Trickster.

As if on cue, Kyprioth appeared. "Did I hear you thinking about me? My, my, such flattery! What can I do for you today, George? By the way, Aly's going well. Dove is a superb queen. I thank you for raising your daughter in such a way. It has been very useful."

"Kyprioth, I need you to stop _any_ tricksters, major or minor, from interfering today." George didn't look it, but inside he was frantic.

"Well, now George, that could be tricky."

"You were saying that you wanted to thank me? This is how you do it."

"I could say that if I do this, I no longer owe you." Kyprioth pointed out.

"That's hardly friendly, is it? You'd still owe me for Aly."

"Alright, George, if you insist. No trickster will interfere with the birth of Keladry's child. No, I cannot tell you how this is going to end up. It's a crossroads. Happy?" With that, Kyprioth disappeared.

George sighed. That was a load off his chest. Now, he had other worries to take care of. This day was going to be easy for nobody at this party.


	5. Kyprioth and Risa

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 5: Kyprioth and Risa**

**A/N: this is the latest instalment of Childbirth Recollections. I have some ideas left, but could people please send me ideas for other recollections. They're basically memories of Kel's life from the point of view of other people. Please! I have who Kel marries, and the circumstances surrounding their marriage, and that will be posted all at once, but I need other ideas. I don't want to give away one of the main points of the story too soon!**

**Again, reviews are always welcome! Please remember, this ****is**** my first Fan Fiction. Thanks, Danicakate.**

**PS: please excuse any slip-ups in spelling, etc. I have a brace on my wrist, and it occasionally pushes buttons without my realising! LOL**

**Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They never have, and never will. They belong to Tamora Pierce, who doesn't get nearly as much credit as she deserves. Her stories are wonderful! The plot, and most of the memories, are mine though. **

Kyprioth sighed. This was not gong to be easy. He himself had been going to play a trick at the birth. Nothing life threatening, just having the babe give some mystic words, to be taken as a prophecy. Something like: 'When the skies are dark, and no hope is in sight, look to the east on the fifth day. There, hope will shine forth and the dark will be dispersed. Look for the Blessed One. She is the one. Look for the Blessed One …'

While deathbed prophecies were his favourite, childbirth prophecies were a very close second. It would be nothing drastic. He would never actually interfere while the child was being born, as that could damage the child, and his sister had a very severe view of those who interfered with things like that, children being under her care. But some other's he knew might get impatient.

An impatient god bodes ill for those causing the impatience. Aly could vouch for that, what with that incident with the Graveyard Hag…

_The Graveyard Hag, Kyprioth's cousin, had decided it would be amusing to fiddle with his grand trick, the one that was so important for the Copper Isles._

_Kyprioth's trick had been to place a half raka queen on the throne of the Copper Isles. Kyprioth had been the patron god of the Isles when the raka had ruled, before the laurin and their patron gods of his brother Mithros and sister the Goddess had overthrown his rule, and taken it for themselves. But Kyprioth wasn't going to put up with that, so he started planning a trick to put all other tricks to shame. Three hundred years later, this trick was completed._

_The half-raka candidate for the throne was Saraiyu Balitang. Her father was from the line of ruling laurin, the Rittevons. Her mother was from the last remaining Haimings, the line of old raka queens. Kyprioth was thwarted in his attempts to put Sarai on the throne by his dear cousin, the Graveyard Hag, who helped Sarai escape with Zaimid, a Catharki healer who was deeply in love with Sarai. Kyprioth had ended up placing Sarai's quiet, bookish younger sister, Dovarsery, or Dove as she was known, on the Kyprish throne._

_Though Kyprioth would never admit it, not even to himself, Dove was doing a better then Sarai ever could have done. While Sarai got fiercely passionate, but she was easily distracted, with just a few choice words turning her thoughts to other ideas. Dove was interested in things, and when she was younger, Dove had wandered the markets, befriending merchants, priests, beggars, mothers, maids, and common people, asking questions and getting answers the people knew Dove, and loved and trusted her more than they ever could have done Sarai. Sarai simply wouldn't have been able to keep everything running._

_True to their word, Sarai and Zaimid had named their first son Mequen. They now had seven children, and Sarai was pregnant again. Mequen was the eldest. Then came Georgina; Sam and Thony, the twins; Kelandria, Melinda and Zoey, the triplets._

_The flame that was Sarai and Zaimid's love was flickering, weakening and growing smaller as the months passed. Kyprioth didn't think that they would last much longer. But Sarai wouldn't think it honourable to leave Zaimid for another man, even if custom allowed it, which it did. Kyprioth wondered how Sarai would deal with it. Already several young men had started calling at her house when Zaimid 'happened' to be away with surprising regularity._

_Still, Kyprioth couldn't do anything. Though Sarai was still technically a Copper Islander, she had married a Catharki, she now lived in Cathark, and her children were Catharki. As she was a sister of the Kyprish queen, the Graveyard Hag had convinced the other Catharki gods to allow Kyprioth to observe Sarai and her Catharki family, but to observe only. He was not to make contact with any of Sarai's family. When Kyprioth had raised objections, the Hag had informed him that many Catharki gods were opposed to him being on Catharki soil __at__all__. It had taken most of her negotiating skills, but she had managed to convince them in the end. She owed Kyprioth big time. After all, it was because of the Hag that Sarai was there at all. Not that she had apologised at all when she had told Kyprioth that he was allowed to see his precious twice-royal._

Kyprioth scowled at the memory. He'd had such wonderful plans for sneaking into Cathark under the very_ nose _of the Hag to see Sarai. Being given_ permission _took all the fun out of the whole operation.

A cackle dragged Kyprioth back to the present. He had tricksters to take care of. This whole affair was more trouble than it was worth.

Cleon of Kennan was riding as fast as he could towards Mindelan. He had passed a messenger on the road, who had looked flustered. When Cleon had registered that he was wearing Mindelan colours, he had inquired as to what was wrong. The messenger obviously couldn't see through the disguise he was wearing. So as not to attract muggers, Cleon was wearing the garb of a man-at-arms, who were generally not worth the trouble of robbing.

The messenger had given him a garbled version of events. Cleon rode harder. Kel was in trouble. He had to see her. No matter how much trouble he got in later, some things were more important than patrolling the rocky mountains that surrounded the Northern Border. And Kel was one of those things, just like Neal, Roald, Merric, Owen and Seaver. It had been many years since they were pages studying for mathematics together in Neal's room, and, later, the library, but some things never change. Friendship was one of them.

_When Cleon had talked to Kel about Risa (that was what his then-betrothed had ordered him to call her, to 'add atmosphere and romance to an already blossoming love, precious, darling Cleon!'), he'd poured out everything. While Risa had seemed nice on Progress, once Cleon got to know her, he saw her true colours. She was shallow, vain and self-centred. She didn't care about the people under her care and protection. While they starved, she frittered away the money that their harvests had earnt her on gold-edged lace, expensive spices like saffron and cinnamon. While Risa wasn't going to inherit the lands and people, she was 'taking care of the' while her brother was away._

_She absolutely doted on Cleon, and her very presence was enough to set his teeth on edge. More and more often he spent time with friends, rather than at home with Risa, listening to her twitter on about how she was 'so lucky to be looked after by her big, strong, handsome knight'. He convinced Risa that it was a good idea to have Kel as a bridesmaid. He then had the task of convincing Kel that yes, she did want to wear a big, frilly dress to his wedding, and yes, she did want to accept this position of honour._

_Kel was with no one. She and Domitan of Masbolle had been going out for a while, but for some reason, Kel had lost interest. She was now single, and seemed proud of it. Still, she drew several eyes from surrounding men when she wore the dresses that Lalasa made for her._

_Lalasa made Risa's wedding dress, and it did little r her vanity._

_On the day that Cleon wed Risa, clouds, heavy, dark, _wet_, clouds covered the sky. Cleon remembered wondering if it was a sign from the gods. The day was very humid, and Cleon's tunic stuck to him, making him very itchy._

_Cleon remembered very little about his wedding day, other than Kel hadn't been there. He had tried to convince Risa to postpone the wedding until Kel was well enough to attend, but she refused. She said that she'd just make do with five bridesmaids instead of six. She didn't appear to realise that that was not the reason that Cleon wanted to postpone._

_Risa had looked pretty and she knew it. She had flounced up the aisle. His mother had glared daggers at him, as if daring him to break the betrothal at the last minute. Merric (or was it Seaver?) had drank too much wine at the feast. The flowers smelled overly sticky-sweet. It made him feel nauseous._

Cleon shook his head and tried to think of other things. He didn't wish to think about Risa. It would change nothing. Even when he had wed Risa, Cleon knew that his heart still belonged to Kel, and probably would forevermore. Thinking about Risa was a bad idea.

**A/N: I couldn't remember the real name of the heiress Cleon was betrothed to, so I made up my own nickname. That's why it probably doesn't have anything to do with her real name! **_**Please**_** send reviews.**

**Thanks, Danicakate**


	6. Memories

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 6: Memories**

**A/N: Hello. Sorry for the delays but I haven't had much time to write, plus, I've had writer's block. Thank you to everyone who sent in reviews, they are really helpful. Please, send me what you think, if the story's getting boring, if it doesn't make sense, etc. Thanks, Danicakate**

**A/N: Many, many thanks to Abyssgirl. The idea of using Garvey was hers. C'mon, people, I need more ideas. I've planned the main plot, I just need fillers! Please?**

Kel knew that she was dreaming. But she didn't care. She heard faint voices above her, up … up … up …

But she didn't take much notice of them. She guessed that they were from the real world, and if she returned there, her friends would be waiting for her, but so would an enormous amount of pain. She could live with pain, but she didn't enjoy it, and tried to avoid it whenever possible. So, instead of moving upwards, towards the people she loved, she turned, and drifted down, deeper and deeper, into the inky depths of her very being.

Neal knew that something had taken place. He knew Kel almost as well as he knew himself, and he sensed that she had gone deeper into wherever it was that she was. Not even Alanna knew where Kel's consciousness was slipping to, but she had said something about a black hole, and drifting, the Black God's Gates, and having to stop her. None of it made any sense to Neal, but then again, he hadn't been there for the Sweating Sickness. She had told him about it once, but briefly, and Neal gotten the impression that she didn't like talking about it.

But Kel's soul wasn't quite here, and something had to be done. There was a severe chance of there being a death. Neal had been hoping that his former knight mistress would call on her patron, the Goddess, but his hopes had been quashed. There was no vervain anywhere to be found, and without it, the Goddess could not transfer her power to the Lioness. While they were trying everything humanly possible, Neal didn't like Kel's chances.

Kel's consciousness was passing the time. She had quickly given up on playing games, and was now sorting through her memory. She had never been able to think this clearly before. Ooh, here was a memory that looked interesting. Quickly, and without hesitation, Kel's soul slipped into the memory like a familiar tunic.

_Garvey of Runnerspring, one of her year-mates, had her pressed up against a wall._

'…_don't like it. She could get us all killed. What do you think? You know her better than I do …'_

_What was he talking about? Kel got the impression it was something important…_

'…_hate bothering you about this, but surely something is being done? You know Lord Raoul, and surely he knows? I mean, he is friends with her…'_

… _Garvey had started being really nice to her a while after she had gotten back from Scanra. At first she had been wary of him, aware that Joren of Stone Mountain had tried acting as her friend during her last year as a page. It turned out that he was scheming to force Kel to repeat all our years as a page by being really late to her Big Examinations. Garvey could be trying something similar… but no. Garvey proved himself to be a true friend, saving Kel several times, and generally being a good man, following the code of chivalry to the letter. He was a close friend, and if anything happened to him, Kel would be devastated…_

'…_surely she'd old enough to look after herself. She was raised so that she could survive in situations similar to the one she's in. It's all my Lady can think about. She's reckless in battle and liable to get herself and anyone assigned to her killed. And I'm in her squad…'_

…_a distant memory was stirred. Was he talking about…?_

'…_please, talk to her. Or even better, get Lord Raoul to get her sent home. The Lioness is famed, yes, but she'll end up getting all of us killed!'_

That_ was right. The Lioness's only daughter had been missing, and the Lioness herself had seemed distant. Once, when Kel and the Lioness were practicing sword-fighting, she had felt that someone was watching them. That was stupid. _Of course_ people were watching them. Not many people were stupid enough to challenge the Lioness in a dual. There were many spectators._

'_Age and Treachery!' roared Lord Raoul, jolting her from the thoughts._

_Without realising it, she had slipped from one memory to another. She _was_ fighting the Lioness, there _were_ many spectators, and she _did_ get the feeling that someone was watching them. Someone unearthly… Perhaps the Lioness's patron, the Goddess was watching? No, surely not. Kel was vaguely aware of talking going on between herself and the Lioness. Then, Kel thought she saw the outline of a woman, no, a girl maybe a few years younger than herself. As her attention was focused elsewhere, the Lioness landed the ending stroke. The dual was over, the figure gone. Was it Kel's imagination, or had the girl had red hair? And there was something familiar about that girl…_

Another face swam before her eyes. It was that of a young lady she had met occasionally. Her name was Alianne of Pirates Swoop. She'd since got married, but Kel wasn't about to waste valuable time searching through her memories for Aly's new name. That was it! The red-headed girl she'd seen was Aly! That was interesting…

_Cleon's marriage to Risa had been a miserable experience for both of them. Cleon's life was comparable to a living hell. Whenever he so much as looked at another lady, let alone touched them, Risa flew into a jealous rage. She made no show of it in public, but as soon as they got home, she erupted like a volcano. And to top it all, she was insanely jealous of Kel, one of Cleon's best friends. She'd even had the nerve to tell Cleon that there had to be a chaperone whenever he and Kel were alone together._

_It was ironic, really. Before now, Cleon had never dared to think about his feelings for Kel. Now, because of Risa's suspicions, the idea of running off with another woman was growing on him. As one of his best friends and the lady Risa was most worried about, Kel seemed the perfect person. But of course, he wouldn't wish to risk dishonour. So his happy fantasies stayed just that. Fantasies._

_Cleon and Risa were married for two and a half years, and had only one child, a sick little boy. Risa had wanted to call him Claudius Cleonius Mafrit of Kennan, Claudius after the hero in the book she was reading at the moment; Cleonius after her 'darling husband' so he wouldn't be tempted to run off with another woman; and Mafrit because it sounded nice. Cleon had absolutely refused. They called him Alexander, after Cleon's grandfather, though as far as he could see, Alexander would be no defending man. After that, even though Risa wanted more children, she never fell pregnant. Cleon was beginning to think that she was barren, a curse from the gods. He wanted a healthy son, to be his heir, so that Cleon would be able to escape somewhere eternally peaceful. Cleon was seriously contemplating killing himself to get away from his hated wife, his sick son and his feelings for Kel. Then one day, Risa took seriously ill. Cleon was called from the front line, but by then it was too late. By the time Cleon got home, Risa had been dead three days, and Alexander was half dead with hunger. The child was only a year old. He reused to eat anything that anyone had given him, and would only eat from the hand of his mother or father. Once the child was nursed back to health, Cleon sent Alex to his mothers, so he would be cared for. Then he started looking for a cause._

_When the local magistrate heard of Risa's death, he assumed it was murder. A fully-fledged murder investigation was now underway. And they had several suspects._

_Keladry of Mindelan and a squad of the King's Own, including Sergent Domitan, had been on the road they day that Risa fell sick. They were less than an hour's ride away from Kennan when they had to pitch camp because of the coming night. When she was setting up her tent, Kel had disgruntled a snake. They dealt with their differences in their own ways, ie. the snake bit Kel, and Kel swore at the snake. Then Kel went to find some help. Or at least, she meant to. It seemed that the snake wasn't an ordinary grass snake. It was a King Brown. Through the flashing lights and swirling colours, she was dimly aware of trying to speak, yell, scream, swear, _anything_ that would make a noise. But her throat was tight, it seemed swollen shut. She couldn't make a sound. She couldn't breathe. Her eyes were swelling shut… Fighting to the last – she didn't want people to think her weak – Kel succumbed to the darkness. And because she fought so hard, a part of her stayed conscious as things went on around her:_

'_Lady? Lady, your tent's not up. Lady, where are you?' Tobe passed within feet of her in the dark, and almost tripped over her, but didn't realise that it was her. Still calling out to her, he wandered off._

'_Lady Kel! Supper's ready!' One of the Own was calling out to her. She tried to answer, but it was as if a part of her soul was detached. Her body lay on the ground, only breathing tiny, shallow gasps of air with each breath, slowly turning purple, unconscious and dying. The poison of the snake was working fast. She would be dead within the hour if not found. Strangely, she was not disturbed by this realisation. A calm acceptance had seeped over her. She was going to die. There was nothing she could do. It was up to Tobe, the soldiers and the gods._

'_Kel, where in Mithros' name are you? What I wouldn't give for her animals to be here.' When Kel had left Corus with the squad, her animals had stayed behind. The sparrows had young ones to teach and look after, and Jump was staying with Lalasa until Kel got back. She was just delivering a message to Cleon from the King's spymaster, Sir Myles. She should return within a week._

'_Harold, come here.' Someone was calling to the only mage that Kel had brought with her. Maybe now they would get some results. 'You know that spell you were telling me about today?'_

'_The Right of Mithros, sir?'_

'_Is that the one that finds-?'_

'_Yessir. It is. But only if the person is still breathing, and within a hundred-metre radius.'_

'_That's alright then. Of course she's still breathing, and milady Kel wouldn't have wandered far…'_

_A warm feeling washed over Kel and kept going. That wasn't right. Harold had told Kel about the Right of Mithros as well. It was cast, and the returned to the caster to tell them whether or not there were any humans in the area. It could be changed to see if a particular person was in the area. Kel was prepared to bet good money that this spell was finely tuned to detect her. Then why had it washed over her? It should have returned to Harold. That meant…_

_Below her, Kel's body had taken its last breath as Harold's spell had passed her. This was why the spell hadn't detected her._

'_Any luck, Harold?'_

'_Well, sir, there isn't any response, but there was something odd…' Harold trailed off._

'_What is it, Harold? Anything might help us find her. I doubt she's in any trouble, but we do need to find her.'_

'_There was a sort of – well, it's hard to explain, sir, sort of a – I don't know, it was almost a, well, a _flutter,_ sir.'_

'_What does that mean?'_

'_I don't know, sir. I've never had it happen before, and neither has anyone I know.'_

'_Where was it coming from, Harold? This might be important.'_

_Below her, the body of Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan was blue. Kel's consciousness was fading, being pulled back into the body. Her heartbeat was slowing, fading, dying. The Black God would take her soul before anyone found her body._

'_It came from over by the lady's tent.'_

_The sound of running footsteps pounded towards her. They were looking on the wrong side of her tent. With an act of pure will, she lifted one foot, and let it drop. The noise was pathetic, but it was enough. They would find her body tonight, and then she would have a proper burial, her body untouched by scavengers. The Black God was coming. She felt the pressure in her ears. Then – _

'_Did you hear that?'_

'_LADY!' Tobe had found her. Harold and Dom came tearing around the tent, only half put-up. Light leapt from Harold and into Kel's chest. Her heart started beating again, but she couldn't breathe. Dom and Harold carried her into Dom's tent; and Harold started using as many different magics as he could think of, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't bring down the swelling in her throat. Kel's heart was beating, she was semi-conscious, but she couldn't breathe. How long could she last? Even if they could get her breathing again, how much brain damage would she have?_

Kyprioth was having a hard time tracking down all the tricksters. It was as if they sensed he was looking for them, and were hiding from him. It may already be too late. Once a trick was started, it was almost impossible to get the trickster to lay off. If a trick was already stared, it could and would be fatal for both Kel _and_ the baby. Kyprioth hadn't been entirely truthful with George. But the only thing that he could see was that if any trickster got involved, the world would be changed drastically. A lot rode on one of them surviving. Nobody could tell which one it was. And it was 99.9 certain that one of the two in danger would not survive.


	7. Alessandro and Dreaming

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 7: Alessandro and Dreaming**

**A/N: Please review. This is me down on my hands an knees, begging. I know that this is the perfect set-up for a Kel/Dom, as constantly pointed out by Mrs. Dom Masbolle. I will say this once, and once only: IT'S NOT A Kel/DOM! Re-read Chapter Two. I still need fillers. I'm open to all ideas! Danni**

**Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to own these characters, I don't. Most of the children are mine, Harold is mine, and at the moment, I think that's about it.**

_It took a very long time, or so it seemed to those waiting, and some serious magic, but under the care of Harold and several local hedge-witches and healers, Kel's reactions went down. Not only was she having a normal reaction to a King Brown bite, the healers thought that she might have something called an 'allergy'. It meant that if she was bitten again, she'd have an 'allergic' reaction, ie. that she'd have a similar reaction, but it would be faster and worse. There might be no saving her from a second attack._

_The whole episode had taken only an hour and a half. Once Kel was sleeping a deep, natural sleep, Dom, Harold and the others let the tent. Kel was left alone in the tent, which was shrouded with spells to alert Harold and the healers if she woke or took a turn, for better or for worse. Dom would be staying in Kel's tent. The camp would stay as it was until the Lady Knight was well enough to travel. So the Lady Knight was left alone for several days, with healers checking on her in the morning and evening. That was how no one was able to say for certain if the Lady Knight was in the camp when Lady Risa died less than a day's ride from where she was camped._

_Cleon hadn't kept his love for Kel secret, at least among groups away from his wife. This laid suspicion on Kel. She was the only suspect in a very controversial murder trial, and no one thought it appropriate to inform her or the widower of the deceased of this latest development..._

Baroness Illane of Mindelan looked at her grandchildren. Most looked alike enough to be brothers and sisters, but that was not surprising. Anders, Inness and Conal had been practically identical at that age. Their children were all very close, even for cousins, and at the moment they didn't look much like their mothers at all. Only one child stood out as being different.

'Alessandro,' Illane sighed, looking at the red eyes and tear-stained face of the young boy. 'Alessandro, come to Grandmamma. It's all right, sweet-pea. That's right, you can cry.'

'But Grandmamma, I get you dress all wet!' the small boy protested.

'That's all right, precious, it's okay. Grandmamma can always wash the dress. And you know I love all of you a lot more than I love my dresses, right?'

'But what if she don't get better? Then, then, then—' the poor boy broke off in sobs.

'Sh, sh, sh,' Illane soothed, 'she'll be fine. Uncle Neal and the Lioness are looking after her. You remember how Uncle Neal made your arm all better when you fell off Lady?'

Alessandro gave a watery smile at the memory. Lady was his pony, a gift from Uncle Inness. One day, Alessandro and his uncle Inness were riding in the corral when Lady spooked at something, and threw the poor child. Alessandro had broken his arm, and Uncle Neal had 'fixedededed' it for him.

'And the Lioness has made all sorts of things better. It's alright; we know she's going to get better, yes? And then you'll have another baby to look after! Won't that be fun? Lucy's too big to be a baby anymore!' Illane continued.

Finally, when Alessandro's fears had been calmed, he wandered off, looking much calmer. Illane only wished that she could cure her own fears as easily. She wished her son-in-law were here. That would make everything seem a little less grim.

Eleni had watched the whole exchange. Whose was that child? He didn't look much like the other Mindelan children. He looked more like—no, that wasn't possible. That chid was supposedly on the other side of Tortall, with his grandmother. But still, Alessandro looked very familiar. They would both be around the same age. Surely they hadn't – but that would explain why the child was so upset over Keladry's illness…

She knew it was a dream. No, it was less than a dream. It was the comings of a hallucinating mind, so close to death. Death? Surely she wasn't going to _die_? She was just out of the world for a while, out of time, out of space, out of life. No, she wouldn't let herself go _that_ far. She was just staying her, in this blackness for a while, until the pain and the hurt and the betrayal and the misery of the world had finished. And if she stayed a little longer, no one would care. She would be free of the conservatives, free of the slander, free of the unkind words of a world intent on destroying her hopes and shattering her dreams.

What was that? A baby? Crying? Here?!? She could see it, but couldn't tell if it were a boy or a girl. Some deep, inner instinct told her that this was _her_ child, the one she was refusing to birth. She kicked out that uncomfortable thought. She didn't want to think about that, she didn't want the guilt clawing at her from within in a place that was supposed to be so peaceful. Almost as peaceful as the Peaceful Realms… She ignored that voice, and sank into the dream.

_It was dark. A small speck of light appeared, growing brighter, larger, closer. It was that child. The one who called her the Protector. What was her name? Kel couldn't be bothered to remember. Irnai… a voice floated into the 'dream'. She was glowing with an unnatural, unearthly light. Figures, children appeared, one by one around her. Soon Irnai was in the centre a crowd of at least a hundred children._

_Some of the faces she recognised as the refugee children from Haven and New Hope. Others were at once recognisable. There was Neal's son Gregory, and his two daughters Elena and Alyss. She couldn't spot Neal himself, but two other children standing near the three Queenscoves looked alike enough to be their cousins. Neal had a younger sister, Kel remembered. They must be her children. What were they doing here? Looking around, she spotted children who looked so much like their parents that they were easy to tell. There was Alessandro, and Lexi, and Monique, and many, many other recognisable children._

_But all the children she could recognise made up only 30 of the total number of children there. For every three children she recognised, seven others were totally foreign to her. Faces jumped out at her. A ten-year-old girl, brown haired and green eyed. A boy of Bazhir ancestry, with the blue eyes of a Scanran. Tobe. A red-haired child with hazel eyes and a crooked grin. The only thing that all these children had in common was that they were all under thirteen, and they were all staring at her._

_As one, all the children, even Irnai, started moving towards Kel. Closer and closer they drew, until they were right in front of her. The front children split and moved to the sides until Irnai was right in front of her. She began talking in a very deep voice, hoarse, almost raspy. The language wasn't one that Kel was familiar with. Only one sentence made sense, and it repeated itself again and again, growing louder and louder until it drowned out all other sound. Irnai and the other children disappeared, leaving Kel in total darkness. Irnai's words still rang out loud, even though the utterer was no longer in the vicinity. Totally irrationally, this scared Kel more than she would dare admit. She was not just scared. She was terrified._

'_There will always be work for the Protector of the Small.'_

_Kel gave a shudder._

Neal and Alanna were still working on stopping the bleeding. Alanna was worried. Normal wounds would have closed by now. It was almost as if the second Lady Knight was… cursed. There was a rapping at the door. The local midwife was finally here.

Suddenly, Kel gave a massive shudder. It was so prolonged; it seemed almost as if she were having a fit. The force was lifting her feet of the bed. All at once, the shuddering stopped. Neal and Alanna let out breaths they didn't know they were holding. Then they went to check the vitals. Kel wasn't breathing. Neal was starting to feel a strong sense of déjà vu. When they had brought Kel in, she had felt cold and clammy, and her breathing was ragged, just like it had been when he found her with Anders. Dom and Harold had told him about the episode with the King Brown snake after they had gotten back. Apparently Kel had stopped breathing then, too. It seemed that every major injury Kel had had in the past eight years, she was re-living, causing her body – now far away from her mind – to go through similar processes. Unbeknownst to him, Kel's mind was going through her memories to 'get rid of unnecessary waste of space' and living through every memory to decide I it were worth keeping. Such brain functions could have serious side effects such as mental damage when she woke up. Neal wouldn't let himself believe that she mightn't wake up. And he still hadn't had the chance to finish his custard tart.


	8. Poetry

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 8: Poetry**

**Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They never have, and never will, as much as I might wish it otherwise. They belong to Tamora Pierce, who doesn't get nearly as much credit as she deserves. Her stories are wonderful! The plot, and most of the memories, is mine, though. I also own Harold, Alessandro, Alexander, Risa (because I'm calling her something other than what TP called her), Lucy, Gregory, Alyss, Kelandria, and almost all the children:)**

Baroness Illane of Mindelan was downstairs talking to Lalasa and the children of Mindelan. Conal and Inness were talking to the men-at-arms. Neal and Lady Alanna were still inside that gods-damned room with Kel, waiting for the local midwife to turn up. Alanna was hoping that she'd bring vervain with her. The Goddess was needed. Duke Baird was talking with some of the ex-convicts from Haven and New Hope. Yuki was taking care of her children and talking to Princess Shinkokami. Prince Roald was talking with Merric and some of Kel's other invited guests. Lord Wyldon was talking with Lord Raoul. Everyone was waiting for Kel's husband to arrive.

Nobody noticed Sergent Domitan of Masbolle sneaking upstairs and into Lady Keladry's bedroom. The very air he breathed smelt like her. There was her glaive, leaning against the wall in the corner where she had left it that morning. And above the bed –

It seemed Kel had adopted an idea of some of the court ladies. Above her bed was a sweet dreams bag. Carefully leaning over, Dom picked it up and opened it up, tipping the contents onto Kel's bed. There was a griffin's feather, presumably from the baby griffin she was saddled with during her squiredom. There was a strand of red yarn. While most of the red yarn Kel had picked up in Scanra had been sewn back onto the head of Meech's doll once the party had returned to Tortall, it seemed Kel had kept a strand to remind her of the adventure and the courage of the refugee children she loved dearly. Here was a button that looked suspiciously like one Dom had lost at Steadfast. He could swear it had been sewn on tightly to his tunic, but it had gone missing. Maybe she still did love him, even if it was as a friend.

Here was a lock of Neal's hair, left over from their infamous duel.

_The refugee's of New Hope were getting restless. No attacks had come for a while, so they were getting bored. Neal kept making jokes that were more than slightly off colour. Kel had decided to see how well he would cope if she 'took offence' to something he said. Therefore, she challenged him to a duel. Neal practically fainted. They took it outside the walls, and onto a flat patch, were swords were drawn. Kel didn't really want to hurt Neal, so she was careful. After twenty minutes of fencing, Kel took a swing at Neal's head, close enough for a tuft of hair which was sticking up to be severed. This time, Neal really did faint._

Kel had kept the tuft to remind her of that day. That tuft of hair had always annoyed her. It wouldn't lie flat.

Dom smiled at the memory. It was always fun to see Meathead scared, especially when it was his love doing it. Then he sighed. While she was his love, he wasn't hers, and hadn't been for quite some time. He picked up the next object. A Yamani coin, from her time in the Islands. That must hold many memories for her. Looking down at the pile of objects remaining, a piece of paper caught his attention. It was old, and slightly yellowed. To his untrained eye, it looked about three and a half years old, give or take. Carefully, he smoothed it open. Words, written in blue ink jumped out at him. As he read what was written on that fateful piece of paper, his heart sank, and he sank onto her bed.

My dearest Keladry, it read.

Although I had to leave you,

I hope you will forgive.

For as long as the sun does shine,

My love for you will live.

This silence does oppress me,

I know you wish it so,

But this I swear with all my heart,

And I want everyone to know:

The day you do not love me

Is the day that I will die,

My heart will wither in my chest

With a godforsaken cry.

I will be ripped to pieces,

My heart beyond repair.

I will go to the Peaceful Realms,

And hope you find me there.

I love you.

The note was unsigned, but Dom had no doubts about who had written such a poem to his Lady Knight. A silent tear ran down his cheek.

Alessandro was still upset, even after talking to his beloved grandmother. Quietly he slipped into Kel's bedroom. An unknown man was sitting on her bed, tears pouring down his face. Quietly, so as not to disturb him, Alessandro slipped his hand into the man's. The man looked down into the small boys face, and took a deep breath. This boy needed comforting more than he himself did.

Lalasa had finished talking to the Baroness. While she did love children, Lalasa was still off men. Just because no one had tried to take her on in a while doesn't mean that there wasn't a nasty bastard out there, waiting to pounce. Her father had seemed a nice, quiet, gentle man when her mother had gotten an interest in him. It was only once they were married that he began to show his true colours. Lady Kel had always tried to teach Lalasa to defend herself, as well as show her that not all men were like that. Slowly, Lalasa was beginning to trust those of the male gender. Why, in one of her talks with Lady Kel, Kel had poured her heart out to Lalasa…

_Kel had come in for a new dress fitting._

'_I'm going to that ball at Queenscove. Yuki and Neal both invited me. It's Alyss's naming ceremony, and afterwards, there's to be a ball!' The Lady Knight had sounded so thrilled, which was slightly odd._

'_May I enquire as to whom are to be named as gods-parents, my lady?' Lalasa inquired._

'_Oh, Lalasa, that's just the thing! I don't think it should be me, as I'm already gods-mother to Gregory and Elena. Having all three children as my gods-children would seem strange, don't you agree?'_

'_Don't you think that when Alyss is old enough to consider life, she'd feel left out as the only one of the Queenscove children _not_ to have her beloved Aunty Keladry, Lady Knight of Tortall, as a gods-mother? I know if it were me, I would. Happened to some people at the village I grew up in. There were four children in the family, Gibbs, I think they were called. Only the eldest didn't have the same gods-parents as the others. The Millers (that was the name of the gods-parents) had four children also. The eldest Gibbs became best friends with the eldest Miller girl, and was quite upset that her best friend's parents were not her own gods-parents, even though they were gods-parent of all her brothers and sisters. In the end, the Millers adopted her as an honorary gods-daughter. Don't you think that baby Alyss would feel the same way?' Lalasa pointed out. 'My lady.' She added, just in case she wasn't being respectful enough_

'_I never thought of it that way,' Kel said. 'Though I suppose it's a fair point. I guess it would save a lot of heartache and hurt feelings for me just to accept. Alright, Lalasa, you've convinced me.'_

'_Who else gets the honour, my lady?'_

'_Oh, stop calling me 'my lady', please, Lalasa. I put up with it when you were my maid, I put up with it when other people are around, but really, I don't want to put up with it if there's no one to see or comment if you don't.'_

'_Yes, my lady.'_

'_Right. Now you're just teasing.'_

'_Yes, my lady.'_

'_Oh, shut up, you!' Kel laughed._

'_Well, my lady, if you insist!'_

_They were silent for a while, and then –_

'_Lalasa?' Kel spoke hesitantly._

'_Yes, my lady?'_

'_I- I'm in a spot of trouble.'_

'_Tr-trouble, my lady?'_

'_Not trouble, exactly. And not with a man, exactly. It's just- well, Cleon seems to be acting more like he did when we were squires. He's married, but he seems like he wants me, but he's married to that stuck-up prig he calls a wife. It's almost like he wants me to be his mistress. But I'd never do that. Never. And, well, Dom, he seems strange. He's just as handsome as he was before, but, he seems different. Less there. More out of the way. I don't think I love him anymore, and I keep thinking about Cleon, but I don't love _him_ either. Oh, what am I to do?'_

'_My lady–'_

'_Kel.' Kel said firmly_

'_Kel, I'm not really the best person to talk to about this sort of thing._

It had taken a very long time, but Kyprioth had finally rounded up most of the tricksters. Only one trickster with the power to do some serious damage was missing. The Graveyard Hag. Using a charm he had learnt from his _dear_ sister, Kyprioth bound the tricksters' powers, so they could not interfere. Interference at this time could be –_would_ be- fatal. Though Kyprioth resented being called like a dog, George was right. He was in debt.

Kyprioth sighed. There was only one thing or it. He needed to get his sister in contact with the lioness, and _fast_. And that would mean giving up on his dear cousin the Hag.

Far below, the village midwife felt herself being picked up and dragged towards the castle.


	9. Of Husbands and Sons

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 9: Of Husbands and Sons**

**A/N: yes, I'm finally going to tell you who she's married to. After this, there's only going to be one or two chapters, but I hope you'll all keep reading. That's why I haven't been telling you who Kel's husband was. I was afraid you'd go 'Oh, ok, that's all I wanted to know, I'm not reading anymore' or 'I don't like her husband, I refuse to finish the story'. SORRY!**

When the Lady of Kennan died, both Cleon and Alexander were devastated. Alexander had no one to look after him, so he was sent to Risa's relatives. Cleon knew his son needed a mother, and so he approached one who he knew would love Alexander as if he were her own.

'_Kel,' Cleon's voice came out as a whisper. He cleared his throat, and tried again. 'Kel?'_

'_Cleon?' Kel sounded surprised. 'What are you doing here?'_

'_I- I need to talk to you. It's important, and I need to know how you feel.'_

_Kel looked wary, and even in her memory, she could feel her apprehension growing. 'What is it?' she asked in a suspicious tone of voice._

'_You heard that my mother has died?'_

'_Yes, Cleon, I'm so sorry.'_

'_Well, now my son, my little Alexander has no one to call mother. He's living with Risa's family, but they regard him as nothing more than a nuisance. He's not even four, Kel. How can he understand that no one wants him?'_

_Kel's eyes were wet with sorry for the poor child, and yet, even as she felt sorrow or the child, she had a sense of what Cleon was going to say next, and the truth was, she had no idea how she would answer. She had found a piece of paper in her chambers many months ago, and she had no doubt in her mind as to who had sent it._

'_Kel, please look at me.'_

_She did._

'_I never stopped loving you. You know that, don't you? I hated the act that you were to ill to make the wedding. Risa didn't care. She hated you; she resented you, and tried to turn Alexander against you. But you've met him. He loves you more than he ever loved his mother. I love you too. Darling, will you marry me, for both my sake and for that of Alexander?'_

_There. The question had come, just as she knew it would. And from the bottom of her heart, the answer came. Just one word._

'_Yes.'_

_The wedding had been a secret, with only a few select guests. Kel and Cleon had agreed to keep her name as it was until it was time to reveal their marriage. And soon after, Alexander moved into Mindelan, his name changed to Alessandro, so none would suspect. Cleon took leave from the army to spend with his new wife, under pretence of having an emotional breakdown in the wake of news of the 'death' of his beloved son, the last of his family._

The midwife had arrived at Mindelan. By some freak chance, she had brought vervain with her. As she was admitted into the healing room, Alanna discovered that she had no healing power. That meant that it was up to Alanna herself and Neal to save Keladry, if it could be done at all.

Behind her, Neal's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed from over exertion and exhaustion, as a result of having nothing to eat for twelve hours and using almost all his magic. Having finished his custard tart would have made all the difference.

Alanna hadn't noticed. She threw the vervain into the fire. The flames turned violet, and the Goddess's voice emitted from them.

'There is only one way to save Keladry of Mindelan and Kennan—'

**A/N: Oooh, scary stuff. I told you the custard tart was important! So, now you know who the husband is! Please, read and review. This chapter has been a long time coming!**

**Danicakate**


	10. Beginning and End the Circle Turns

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 10: Beginning and End–the Circle Turns**

**Previously:**

_The midwife had arrived at Mindelan. By some freak chance, she had brought vervain with her. As she was admitted into the healing room, Alanna discovered that she had no healing power. That meant that it was up to Alanna herself and Neal to save Keladry, if it could be done at all._

_Behind her, Neal's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed from over exertion and exhaustion, as a result of having nothing to eat for twelve hours and using almost all his magic. Having finished his custard tart would have made all the difference._

_Alanna hadn't noticed. She threw the vervain into the fire. The flames turned violet, and the Goddess's voice emitted from them._

'_There is only one way to save Keladry of Mindelan and Kennan—'_

**The story continues:**

Alanna had finished listening to the Goddess' instructions. She turned around, and spotted Neal on the floor. She smiled a grim smile. He couldn't stop her now.

The village midwife left the healing room. The Lioness had had a conversation with the fire. At times it was as if she were on the verge of _pleading_ with the fire. These nobles were all crazy.

Kyprioth appeared next to George.

'George, this is urgent.'

'What is it? Have you spoken to the Goddess?'

'My beloved sister? Yes. There's one way to save Keladry and her girl-child. She's speaking to Alanna now, telling her how. But George, you're not going to like it—'

Kyprioth gave up. George had rushed off to spread the news Kel was going to survive. Everyone was cheering up. They would be happy in half an hour's time. Not when they found out the price of Kel's life, and that of her daughter. With a sigh, he settled down to watch. For once he couldn't concentrate on a trick. His sister's voice kept echoing in his head.

'_There is only one way to save Keladry of Mindelan and Kennan and her girl-child—'_

Dom looked into the tear-stained face of the small boy next to him, and took a deep breath. This boy needed comforting more than he himself did. Alessandro was about to lose his mother, his home, his family and his emotional security. Again. There are only so many times a child can go through that. No child should have to bury his mother. Especially not twice. Thrice, if you counted his grandmother, who was like a mother to him anyway.

The sound of footsteps came from the stairs, and Merric bowled through the open door.

'Dom! She's going to be okay! A god just told George! She and the baby are going to live! It's a girl! A girl! Kel's having a baby girl!'

The three of them did a little jig, though Dom's heart was still heavy with sorrow at his lost love, yet strangely elated that she would still be alive.

A jolt of violet sparks woke Neal. He looked up. Alanna's face was grave, a grim smile set on it.

'Neal, there's something I need you to do for me.'

Cleon jumped from the back of his horse and ran into the courtyard. People were laughing and rejoicing. Owen came over to tell him the good news. Cleon sagged with relief and went to wait by the door of the healing room with Illane, where they discussed names fir the baby.

'No, Alanna, you can't do this!' Neal was obviously much stressed. 'You just can't! You're needed here!'

George suddenly realised that Kyprioth hadn't finished talking to him when he'd rushed off. When he found Kyprioth, the god said 'I wondered when you were going to come back.'

'There's more to it, isn't there?'

'Yes.'

'Tell me.'

'You're not going to like it.'

'Tell me.'

'Our cousin the Black God is owed a soul. For both Keladry and her daughter to live, there has to be another to take their place.'

'Alanna,' George breathed. It was not a question, but Kyprioth answered anyway.

'Yes.'

'No!'

George's shout echoed across the courtyard. Conversations froze as everyone turned to face George. 'Alanna!' he roared, running towards the healing room, the king at his heels.

'Tell them goodbye from me, Neal,' Alanna's voice was quiet.

Neal was too weak to move to stop her.

She turned to Kel, and placed a hand above her heart, and did the same thing on herself. As the switch started, the door burst open. Alanna turned. There was George, framed in the doorway, and running towards her, King Jonathan right behind him.

'Lass! No!'

It was too late. The switch had already taken place. Alanna crumpled to the ground, all colour gone her last view of the world the love of her life rushing towards her.

'Alanna.' The word came out as a dry sob. 'Alanna, Alanna, Alanna, Alanna, Alanna.' It became almost a mantra. 'Alannaalannaalannaalanaalannaalannaalannaalanna…'

As Alanna's body was laid out straight, Kel began to stir, and the baby girl appeared at her side, surrounded by violet fire. Those looking at her gasped. Her eyes were the deepest violet. Her name was obvious. A creature as beautiful as her had to be called Alanna.

At baby Alanna's naming ceremony a translucent white-robed figure was seen standing next to baron George of Pirates' Swoop. The figure had copper coloured hair and violet eyes. It leaned over baby Alanna's cot and kissed her on the right cheek. Kel blinked, and the woman was gone. Yet on baby Alanna's right cheek, a lioness rampant. Kel smiled. Alanna didn't begrudge her a life, and was looking over her precious daughter. A tiny black kitten wandered over, and snuggled in next to baby Alanna. Nobody noticed the colour of its eyes.

That night, several mages noticed that the constellation of the Cat was missing from the sky. They smiled. Some lucky girl now had the Goddess watching over her. T6he Goddess in her form of the Cat.


	11. Sarai

**Childbirth Recollections**

**Chapter 11: Sarai**

**A/N: I had to tell you what happened to Sarai**

In far away Cathark, Lady Saraiyu decided it was time to take her children or a long visit to the Copper Isles. There was no need to tell Zaimid. She told herself she'd be back in a month or so, but secretly she knew she would never return to Cathark.

**A/N: I just thought this would finish the story nicely**


End file.
